I typed back: Fine. Monday. County clerk's office. I'll be there.
This time, he replied instantly—a voice message.
I pressed play. His tone was mocking, impatient.
"Odette, you'd better not be stalling. If you stand me up, I have ways to make you regret it."
I didn't respond. I just turned off my phone.
The days that followed passed in a blur. I drifted through the empty villa like a ghost.
The funeral was simple—just a few bouquets of lilies, Talia's favorite flower.
I knelt before her casket, burning paper offerings through the endless nights.
Victor never came.
Not a single text asking what happened. Not one phone call.
Nothing.
On the day of the burial, the sharp click of heels echoed from outside the funeral home.
Crisp. Grating.
I looked up.
Rebecca stood in the doorway wearing a crimson dress, a designer bag dangling from her arm, sauntering in like she owned the place.
Her gaze landed on the black-and-white portrait at the center of the room. She pressed a hand to her lips in mock surprise, but her eyes glittered with undisguised satisfaction.
"Oh my. She actually died?"
She walked over and stood above me, looking down at where I knelt, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather.
"I was worried this little brat would fight my son for the family inheritance someday. Well, problem solved. Saves me a lot of trouble."
She tilted her head, a saccharine smile spreading across her face.
"Don't be too sad, Odette. It's called survival of the fittest. She was just making room for a child who actually deserves to be blessed."
My fingers tightened around my phone until my nails broke the skin of my palm. Blood seeped through the gaps between my fingers and dripped onto the floor.
I lifted my head and fixed my gaze on her perfectly made-up face. My voice came out raw, like I was choking on blood.
"Get out."
Rebecca let out a contemptuous scoff. "What's with the attitude? I came all this way just to kindly remind you not to forget about the divorce."
She tilted her head, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "After all, now that your little burden is gone, you don't exactly have any leverage to keep Victor anymore, do you?"
She turned away, ignoring the inferno raging in my eyes. Her gaze swept the room like she was surveying a conquered territory, and then she left, thoroughly satisfied.
I watched her retreating figure, and in my heart, I spoke to Talia, word by word.